You can’t talk about B2B lead generation without mentioning email marketing. Eighty-eight percent of marketers rank email as their most effective means of B2B lead generation (according to Circle Research). But just sending an email isn’t enough. You have to hook your audience to drive conversions, and it all starts with killer email copy.
It’s Not About You
Repeat after me: “Audience first!”
This should be your mantra when writing email copy for B2B lead generation. When business leaders open your email, it’s because they think you have something of value to offer them. They don’t want a list of your accomplishments and guarantees, and they definitely don’t want a sales pitch. They’re hoping for a conversation—one that addresses their specific problems, preferably with viable solutions.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Before you can truly focus on relieving the pain points of your audience, you have to recognize that you’re dealing with multiple subsets of unique individuals. While you can’t address everyone on a one-on-one basis each and every month, you can segment your email list to provide a more personalized experience for your recipients. More importantly, list segmentation—be it by demographics, location, job title/function or sales funnel position—allows you to deliver the right message to the right people, at the best possible time.
Readability Matters
B2B lead generation emails should be short and to the point. No one has time to meticulously sift through a rambling email in hopes of uncovering a small nugget of value. Give it to them straight and make it easy to read and understand. Avoid fluff, needless jargon and passive voice.
Organize your email copy so that skimmers can still get the gist of your message. This means hitting the big points early and using subheadings and bullet points to organize your content so that it’s easy to digest. Remember, the purpose of your B2B lead generation email is to build to the CTA. Anything that doesn’t serve this purpose shouldn’t be there.
Focus Your CTA, Increase B2B Lead Generation
Your call to action should be simple, focused and above the fold—and it should tell your reader exactly what to do next. Use action words like “start” or “download” to drive the appropriate action, and use benefit words like “free” or “customized” to communicate the benefits of that action. Here’s a fairly common example: “Start your free trial today!”
Consistency Counts
To successfully use email marketing for B2B lead generation, you have to build a relationship with your prospects and earn their trust, and that requires presenting a consistent message from A to Z. If your subject line promises something, the body of your email should deliver on that promise, as should your CTA and landing pages. It’s also important that the visual formatting of your emails and landing pages remain consistent in order to instill a sense of familiarity, which keeps your audience at ease.
Automation Can Help
While there will always be some level of trial and error to B2B lead generation, email lead generation software can help you fine-tune your B2B lead generation strategy. For example, A/B testing can be used to better target every aspect of your emails, from the subject lines to content to the CTAs. And with real-time reporting and analytics, you can gauge results and better segment your database for future email campaigns.
Request your free demo to learn more about how ELG software can help enhance your B2B lead generation strategy.
